• Playmaker got deal while Frenchman was still at helm• Özil has started one game since Boxing Day

Arsène Wenger believes the decision to offer Mesut Özil a long-term contract last year may have left the German in a “comfort zone”.

Özil ended speculation about his future last year by committing himself to Arsenal until the summer of 2021, with Wenger still at the helm. But the playmaker has fallen out of favour under Wenger’s successor, Unai Emery, having started only one game since Boxing Day to bring renewed scrutiny as to whether he will remain at the Emirates Stadium.